atwood



' A. e. ATWOOD.

Sheep Stock.

N0."68,591. Patented Sept. 10, 1867.

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SHEEP-CHAIRS.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, A. D. ATWOOD, of Saybrook, in the county of McLean,and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement inSheep-Chairs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the same, reference being bad to theaccompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of mysheep-chair.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same.

That others may understand the construction and mode of using myinvention, I will particularly describe it.

A is the pedestal or stand upon which the seat and appurtenances aremounted; it may be secured to the barn floor by screws or any othermeans, and may be fastened to the ground by stakes, 860. From thispedestal rises the stud or shaft B, which is cylindrical in' form, andforms the pivot upon which are mounted the revolving seat 0, table D,and cross-head E which supports the spring-backs F G, against one ofwhich the sheep is. to recline while being sheared. The seat C is aconcave circular block, turned of proper size and concavity to make aconvenient seat. It is mounted upon the upper end of the shaft 13, andmay be turned about thereon as upon a pivot. On its. outer side or edgeis a number of straps and fastenings, H H, which may be used, necessary,to secure the hind legs of the sheep when refractory. It will not oftenbe found necessary, 110wevcr, to resort to their use, as the position ofthe sheep in this chair is not uncomfortable, and they are seldomdisposed to struggle unless placed in a painful position. At each end ofthe cross-head E is pivoted one of the backs F G. A description of theconstruction of one will apply to both said backs. The back F is ametallic bar, which for convenience is curved, substantially as shown.The lower end is bent in the form of a hook, and the same is passedunder a pin which is passed through the cross-head and through a recessin the top of the same, as shown. The back F must be thus attached whenthe cross-head is detached, as it can only be thrown forward far enoughfor that purpose when the seat 0 is removed. At the back of the bar F isthe loop I, into which one end of the spring J is hooked, while theother end of the same spring is hooked in a corresponding loop beneaththe cross-head. The spring J is extended when it is being hooked intoits loops, and as it moves upon the loop under the cross-head as acentre ofmotion, when the back Fis pushed forward or back ward; and asthe said back moves upon a centre which is somewhat higher up and nearerthcend of the crosshead, it follows that thcir movements do notcoincide, and as the back F is pushed backward the spring J is more andmore extended until a line is passed which passes through the two endsof the spring and the pivot at the bottom of the back, when the furthegmotion of the back permits the ends of the'spring J to approach eachother again. The efiect of this arrangement is to secure a doubleoperation of the spring; it presses the back upward when it is ra-iscdbeyond a certain point, and it pulls the same downward when it isdepressed below the same point. At the upper end of the back are securedby pivots at one end of each the straps K K, their free endsbeingconfined by the sliding-loops L1 These straps confine the curved ribs MM which support the sides of the sheep while being sheared. Theconstruction of the straps K permits the ribs M to he slipped end- Waysor slightly inclined, as desired. The table D serves to catch the fleeceas it is severed from the sheep. It is constructed with several rodsattached to a central plate, N, and distended by a rim-wiro whichextends around about the space of one-half a circle. These rods and therim-wire are covered by a cloth or other suitable fabric, and the wholemay be folded like a fan by'withdrawing the rim-wire. The plate N isprovided with an orifice through which the pivot B is to he passed whenthe table is in place.

The method of using my sheep-chair will suggest itself to all. The sheepis lifted and placed within the concavity of the bowl or seat 0, sittingupon his rump, and with his back resting against one of the supports FG. The attendants left hand should be placed against the shecps breast,when he may be held firmly.. If the support F is used in the firstinstance the opposite support G is to be turned down, as shown in redlines in fig. 2. As the operation of shearing progresses, the sheep andhis seat C may be revolved, as required, without revolving the supports,and when the fleece is about half removed the sheep is readilytransferred from F to G, by bringing the latter upright and pressing thesheep over against it. The first support may then be turned down and outof the way. The shearer can make the sheep recline more or less, as hedesires, by depressing the back against which he is leaning. It will beperceived that this chair may be taken entirely apart without theremoval of a'single pin or screw; the seat C, plate N, and cross-head E,being simply placed'upon the stud B without fastening. This is a. greatconvenience, and renders the apparatus much cheaper than would otherwisebe the case.

Having described my invention, what I claim asnew, and desire to seoureby Letters Patent, is- 1. The revolving seat 0, in combination with thefiexiblebeck F or G, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. I I

2. The fleece-table D, in combination with the seat 0, and backs F G',substa.ntia.lly as described.

3. The movable ribs M M, in combination with the baok-bar F or G,substantially as set forth and described.

4. The spring J and back F, in combination with the seat of asheep-chair.

5. A sheep-chair constructed with the pedestal A, cross-heed B, seat 0,and table-plate N, fitted to each other substantially in the mannershown, so that the whole may be taken apart without the removal of anyfastening.

6. The fleece-table D, constructed as described, so that by the removalof the rim-wire said table may be folded like a. fan.

A. D. ATWOC D Witnesses:

G. A. BLACK, R. E. BECKWITH.

